Turkish lawmakers sworn in new term

ANKARA, June 3: The Turkish parliament convened on Friday, the first time after the May 14 polls, holding the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected 600 deputies.

As the parliament began its 28th term, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the ceremony on Friday. He will take oath on Saturday in the parliament to officially start his new five-year term. Erdogan is expected to announce his new cabinet just after his oath-taking ceremony.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which ran in parliamentary elections under the People's Alliance, won 268 seats. The bloc is composed of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which won 50 deputies, and the New Welfare Party (YRP), which won five. The alliance secured a combined majority of 323.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) won 169 deputies under the opposition block Nation Alliance, which was composed of six parties and secured 212 seats in parliament.

The Labor and Freedom Alliance, a coalition of left-wing political parties, had 65 lawmakers, with the Green Left Party gaining 61 seats and the Workers' Party of Türkiye four lawmakers.

Turkish citizens voted on May 14 for twin presidential and parliamentary elections. Neither of the presidential candidates secured more than 50 percent of the votes needed to call a winner in the first round, therefore an election runoff was held for the first time for the presidency on May 28.

Turkish Supreme Election Council on Thursday officially declared Erdogan as the winner of the presidential election runoff with 52.18 percent of the votes, against his rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, the leader of the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP).